


Fairground Attraction

by teacass (Fushigi)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: (the child is not Dean's btw!), Alternate Universe - Human, Artist Castiel, Carnival, Face Painting, Falling In Love, Ferris Wheels, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings, Teacher Castiel, all the fluff ugh i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-10 05:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5572007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fushigi/pseuds/teacass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Do you paint grown-up's faces, too?"</p><p>Castiel holds a summer job, painting Little Ponies and Hello Kitties on children's faces, but it's a certain freckled grown-up that really attracts his attention.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written only in Polish, but I finally managed to rewrite it in English, too. A very big thanks to [Ambra](http://starsandgutters.co.vu/), [Kristsune](http://kristsune.tumblr.com/), and [Muse](http://www.museaway.com/) for doing a great job with beta-reading this mess.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want a background music for reading, try this: [Detektivbyrån - Dansbanan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7tFbbJirGU) :)

 

It was an incredibly hot late afternoon. Castiel was grateful the director of the fair had let him make use of the small wooden booth – its roof did a great job protecting him from the burning sunrays. He glanced at Anna and felt a wave of sympathy when he saw her in the middle of the sun with a bunch of balloons in one hand, a bottle of water in the other, and nothing above her head to shield her from the heat. Even Gabriel and his cotton candy machine were protected by a colourful umbrella.

Cas sighed, his gaze following children running back and forth, tired parents watching their every step and calling after them. Few people looked his way and even fewer paid actual attention to his booth. Cas rubbed his face and reached for the small foldable board he kept underneath the counter. If he really wanted to attract some clients, he needed to try a little bit harder.

For a moment, he just sat and thought, rolling a piece of white chalk between his fingers. When the idea came to him, he threw the white chalk away, pulled the box of colourful chalk out of his bag, and immediately got to work. With a few swift moves of his hand, he drew a big clear sign in the middle of the board and then added some small sketches around it. When he set the board on the counter, Anna smiled and gave him a thumbs-up from where she sat on the bench opposite of his booth.

Just a few minutes later, the first young client stopped in front of Castiel’s booth and stared at the board with fascination written all over his chubby face. The boy looked up at his mother and tugged at her long skirt. Cas couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face as he reached for the face paint he kept hidden beneath the counter.

“Can you draw a lion?” the boy asked. When Cas nodded and dipped his brush in the yellow paint, the boy jumped towards the booth and eagerly took his seat in front of Castiel.

Next in line was a shy little girl who asked for a pink kitten. The thin black whiskers, which Cas painted on her cheeks, were what she loved best. A small blond boy waited in line after the girl—he didn't waste time and promptly asked if Cas was able to draw Spider-Man’s mask. Castiel pretended to consider the question for a moment and then admitted that even though Spider-Man wasn’t a typical animal, he probably _would_ be able to draw it. When he was done, the boy looked critically in the mirror which Cas had given him, squinted at himself for a while, and finally said the mask would do. He was back five minutes later, though, this time with his younger sister in tow.

Cas was just about to take a break from all the painting and visit the hot dog stand when he noticed a girl standing in front of the booth, a deep frown on her little face as she regarded Castiel’s colourful board. Cas had no other choice but to sit back on his stool, rest his chin on his hand, and look at her questioningly.

The girl scanned her surroundings, visibly looking for someone, and then she jumped and started to frantically wave her arms.

After a moment, a tall man approached her and ruffled her hair. “What’d you got there, sweetheart?” he asked and shot a curious look at Castiel’s booth.

The girl frowned, trying to fix her mussed hair, and then looked up at the man and asked, “Can I paint my face?”

“Do you want to?” When the girl nodded with enthusiasm, the man took her hand and led her to the booth. “Let’s go, then. We gotta ask mister painter.”

They stopped in front of Castiel and just continued to stare at him expectantly. He blinked, unsure of what to do. He looked at the girl, then at the man holding her tiny hand. He glanced at the board he’d put out about an hour ago, cleared his throat, and asked, “Welcome, which one of you wishes to have their face painted?”

The girl giggled and pointed at the man. “He does! He does!” she shouted, jumping up and down, up and down, like a happy tiny ball.

“Oh, you little liar,” the man said and sent an amused look Castiel’s way. “Now you’re gonna set me up?”

“Naaaah.” The girl shook her head, hiding her hands behind her back. “But I don’t know what I want.”

Cas pressed his elbows into the counter and leaned forward. “Hmm, let's think about it. What’s your favourite animal?”

“A kitty,” the girl said without thinking. “But I don’t want a kitty. The other girl has it, I saw!”

Cas nodded, his face serious. “You’re right. A kitty is out of the picture, then. What about bears?”

“I’m too small to be a bear,” the girl said with a grimace. “Daddy always says I’m too small and that I eat too little.”

Cas looked at the man standing beside her. His hair was a light shade of brown, just like the girl’s, and he was dangerously handsome.

“Your dad is right,” Cas said with a small smile. “You won’t grow if you don’t eat enough.”

The girl winced again. “But I don’t like vegetables, and mommy always puts them in the soup.”

“The greens are the healthiest,” the man said.

“But _you_ don’t have to eat them,” the girl said sadly.

“‘Cause I’m a big boy.” The man laughed and ruffled her hair again. “You won't have to eat them when you grow up.”

“But first you have to eat more,” Cas added. “Even the greens.”

The girl sighed dramatically. “Okaaaay, I guess.” Then she looked up at Cas, curious. “Is there an animal that’s big and eats vegetables?”

Castiel smiled. “Well, if you don’t want a traditional bear, what about a panda bear? Do you know what pandas eat?”

“Bomboo!” the girl called triumphantly.

Cas let out a sudden laugh, then immediately covered his mouth with his hand and let his head hang low to hide it. The man laughed out loud, too, not bothered by the surprised look his daughter gave him. Castiel wanted to remain calm and fully professional, but couldn’t stop laughing seeing the man’s amusement.

“Bamboo, Heather, not _bomboo_!” the man said and Cas, hearing that word again, burst out laughing again. Heather’s father sent him an amused look.

“Aaaaah. I saw a panda bear on TV one time and it was eating that… that… bamboo!” the girl babbled. “And later, it had a baby panda and it was so small and funny! And it just ate and ate all the time! Can you paint pandas?”

Castiel cleared his throat. “I think I can,” he said and gestured to the girl to join him in his booth.

“My name’s Heather,” she said, taking her place on the stool in front of Castiel.

“Nice to meet you, Heather. My name is Cas,” he replied with a small smile, then reached for his cup and paints.

“And I’m Dean, in case anyone cares,” Heather’s father spoke out. He was leaning with his hip pressed into the booth and looking at them, a happy look on his face.

Castiel nodded at him, trying not to think of the way the warm sunrays seemed to gild Dean’s handsome profile. It wasn’t the right time and the right place for thoughts like that. What’s more, it wasn’t the right _person_.

“Alright.” Cas dunked his brush in the black paint. “Let's begin. Close your eyes, Heather.”

When the brush touched her skin, she giggled and scrunched up her nose. Cas noticed a splattering of freckles on her cheeks and nose and tried not to wonder if he would be able to find similar freckles on her father's skin.

“Do you know,” he spoke up after a while of trying to stop thinking about it and failing miserably, “where freckles come from?”

Heather shook her head and asked, “No, where?”

“When I was a kid,” Castiel painted one small dot on the tip of her nose, “my grandma used to tell me that every freckle is a kiss from an angel.”

Heather opened her eyes and stared at Castiel with astonishment. The black paint around her eyes had already dried, making her big brown eyes look even bigger. “Really? Every one?”

“Every little one,” Cas affirmed.

“Wow.” The girl sighed. “So like a million angels kissed me!”

Castiel laughed quietly. “Or maybe it was only one angel and a million kisses,” he said. He caught Dean staring at him and looked down at the black paint.

Somehow, even though he could still feel the man's gaze on him, he stopped feeling distracted and after a few more moments the panda painting was done. Heather looked at herself in the mirror, grinned, and thanked him. Cas reminded her to eat her greens and hid the paints under the counter.

Dean, meanwhile, put the money in front of him. “Do you paint grown-up's faces, too, sir?” he asked with a bright smile.

Standing across from Dean, with only the narrow counter between them, Castiel could notice that yes, Dean did have freckles. “You can call me Cas,” he said without thinking.

“Okay.” Dean grinned even wider. “Keep the change. See you around, Cas.”

After this, he turned and walked away.

Castiel watched as he bent down to catch Heather and put her up on his shoulders while she squeaked happily, her fingers in his short hair. Cas sat motionless, his head resting on his hands, watching Dean and Heather trot over to the shooting range. Dean won a huge stuffed seal for his daughter, bought her a stick of cotton candy, and ate the half of it himself. When the sun finally dipped behind the horizon and the fairground started to empty out, both Dean and Heather headed towards the exit.

Cas sighed, then remembered he had wanted to take a break a long time ago. He hid the silly board with the silly sign and silly drawings under the counter, put away his paints and brushes, gathered the day's earnings, and headed towards the hot dog stand. Balthazar served him right away and Cas wanted to stay and talk to him for a while, but then the crowd of hungry teenagers attacked his stand and Castiel decided to say his goodbyes and go back to his booth. It was high time he’d gone home already – teenagers rarely wanted their faces painted. Children would come back the next morning, but today—

Cas stopped and blinked when he noticed the man waiting by his booth. He approached him slowly and asked, “Dean? Is something wrong?”

Dean turned towards him, the happy smile still present on his face. “Hey, Cas! I thought you were already gone and I’d have to come back tomorrow.”

“Did Heather forget something?” Cas asked. Trying to ignore the way his heart fluttered in his chest, he entered the booth to pack his things.

“What? No, no. Heather’s already home,” Dean replied. Castiel could feel his gaze, so he lifted his head and sent him a questioning look. “But, umm, I forgot to ask how to clean that paint off. Actually, I hadn’t even thought of that before, but the first thing Sam asked when he came to pick us up was ‘Is it going to wash off’ and then ‘Dean, how could you not ask!', so here I am. To ask, I mean.”

Cas frowned and threw his bag over his shoulder. “Make-up remover of some kind would be sufficient. I’m certain your wife uses something like that.”

“My wife? Ah, man. I don't have a wife,” Dean said, laughing. “But Jess’ll probably have something.”

Castiel blinked, staring at Dean, confused. “Who is… Jess?”

“She’s Heather’s mom. My brother Sam’s wife.” Noticing Castiel’s expression, he added with a smile, “I’m Heather’s uncle, not her dad, Cas.”

Suddenly, Castiel noticed that Dean had entered the booth with him and was now standing just a foot away from him. The glow of the nearby light post illuminated his face, bringing out his dark freckles and green eyes.

Heather’s eyes were brown.

Cas swallowed, his gaze flicking to Dean’s full lips for a split second. “Ah,” he managed.

“So, Cas,” Dean said slowly, tilting his head, eyes never leaving Castiel's face, “do you really gotta go or do you maybe have time for one last painting?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 soon :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Partially inspired by [Death Cab For Cutie – Coney Island](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjRG3fXm1Yo) :)

The evening welcomed them with a chill that everyone had been craving during the day. Castiel packed his things, wiped the sign off his little board, and put it under the counter.

When he went out of the booth, Anna came over to him with her own bag, the remaining balloons swaying slightly above her head. “Enjoy your week off, Castiel, you deserve it,” she said with a smile. “Do you have any plans?”

Cas smiled back at her. “Thank you,” he said. “I don't really know yet, to be honest. The only thing I can think about is tomorrow morning. I can finally sleep in until noon.”

Anna laughed out loud. In his peripheral vision, Castiel noticed Gabriel approaching them briskly.

“Liar, liar, pants on fire!” Gabriel called and smacked Castiel on the shoulder. “Sleeping till noon, _yeah right_.” He winked conspiratorially.

Cas rolled his eyes.

Anna looked at them, her eyebrows raised. “Am I missing something?” she asked.

“Don't listen to him,” Castiel said hurriedly.

“Didn’t you hear about our dear Castiel’s new crush?” Gabriel asked at the same time. “I really doubt you actually intend to _sleep_ till noon.” Gabriel poked him with his elbow.

Cas stepped away. “Gabriel, please,” he said cooly.

“What crush? Hey, I don't know about anything!” Anna piped up.

“Ask _Cas_.” Gabriel grinned.

Castiel felt his face flush.

“ _Cas_?” Anna stared between them, confused. “Gabe, talk!”

“But I don’t know anything! I'm not the one visited by a boyfriend every day—”

“What boyfriend? Hey, Castiel, what’s he talking about?”

Cas wanted to turn on his heel and run away, far from the two pairs of eyes boring into him. “I’m not visited by any boyfriend,” he stated with as much pride as he could muster with his face flushed crimson. “Not _every day_ , anyway.”

“Okay, so, like, every two days. But he does visit you!” Gabriel insisted.

“Gabriel, we work at a fairground, in case you didn’t notice. Children visit fairgrounds. Dean comes with Heather to visit our fair, not me,” he explained as calmly as he could.

“Who’s Dean?” Anna said. No one listened to her.

“No child is here as often as your little Heather,” Gabriel said. “They’ve been here like, five times already. Or more! I bet this Dean drags her here every day.”

“Not every day,” Cas muttered.

“Besides, I saw it!” Gabriel pointed a finger at him. “You can't deny it 'cause I saw it with my own two eyes!”

“You saw what?” Anna asked impatiently.

“Castiel painted Dean’s face,” Gabriel said, proud of himself, and then added after some thinking, “Although not in a sexy way.”

“Gabriel,” Castiel groaned and hid his face in his hands.

“But who is this Dean?” Anna bristled.

“Dean, _oh Dean_ , tall, muscular, with beautiful eyes and a big—”

“I’m out of here, goodbye,” Castiel said.

“—heart! What did you think! Get your mind outta the gutter!”

“Aaaah, so _that_ is Dean!” Anna said.

“If by ‘that’ you mean the guy who makes sweet love to Castiel with his eyes every time they see each other, then yes. _That_ is Dean.”

“See you never,” Cas said, turned away, and headed towards the exit.

“Oooh, crap, I know which one! I didn’t—”

The conversation fell more and more quiet with Castiel's every step; he was thankful for the wind that blew into his face and chilled it. Fortunately, he had a week off work ahead of him and he didn’t need to worry about any of those gossips for now.

True, he wouldn’t see Dean—and Heather, of course—for a full week, but he didn’t want to think about it yet.

He went out the fairground gates and managed to take only a few steps before his ears caught a sound he had already managed to get accustomed to. He stopped and turned towards the nearby parking lot. It was almost empty now, except for several cars that probably belonged to some of the workers. That, and the black Chevrolet that just stopped and turned its engine off. The driver’s door opened and Castiel saw Dean.

“Aw man, don’t tell me we're too late!” he said instead of greeting and opened the back door.

Heather jumped out of the car, her light brown hair braided into countless tiny braids. “Hi!” she called and ran towards him.

“Hello, Heather,” Cas said and tried to ignore his quickened heartbeat.

Heather looked up at him with her big brown eyes. “Is it closed?” she asked sadly.

“Oh,” Castiel sighed, “I’m afraid so.”

Dean closed his car and came towards them, his finger pointed at his niece. “See, kid? This is your fault. If you hadn't spent so much time preening, we'd have been on time,” he joked and looked at Castiel with a smile. “Hiya, Cas,” he greeted and Cas melted a little underneath his warm gaze.

“But I wanted braids!” Heather said defiantly and crossed her arms over her chest.

“And what’s better, braids or a carousel?” Dean tugged on one of her braids.

The girl’s mouth turned down at the corners. “A carousel,” she said with a quiver to her lips.

“You know what,” Castiel said without thinking, “I think I may be able to arrange one more ride on a carousel for you.”

The way Heather's face brightened was worth his manager's weird looks and his coworkers' snide comments.

The way Dean smiled at him and put his hand on Cas’ shoulder, too.

*

The Ferris Wheel was manned by Inias and fortunately it didn’t take much convincing to turn it on one more time, just for two people. Castiel thanked him and came back to Dean standing at the base of the ride, with Heather sitting on his shoulders.

“It’s sooooo big,” she said with awe, staring up at the sky, her lips parted. “What if I fall?”

“You won't,” Dean assured and put her down on the ground. “We’ll hold you, won’t we, Cas?”

Castiel looked at him, surprised. “I’m staying here. Those are two-person seats,” he said.

“Aw man, come on! You gotta go with us,” Dean said. Heather wailed Cas’ name and folded her little hands as if in prayer. “Aww, look at her. You’re not gonna say _no_ to that, are you?” Dean asked, lifted his niece, and held her up in the air just in front of Castiel. She giggled, her hands outstretched towards him.

Cas swallowed loudly, two pairs of eyes boring into him pleadingly. “But… we can’t all go,” he tried to refuse.

“The little squirt barely weighs anything. Here, see for yourself!” Dean said and pushed the kid into Castiel’s arms.

Heather put her hands around his neck and laughed out loud.

“I hope Inias won’t mind,” Cas muttered and climbed the wooden stairs leading to a platform.

Then, the three of them took a seat on one of the benches. Heather sat in Castiel’s lap and kept gripping his shirt. Inias smiled at them, lowered the metal bar that protected them from the front, and reminded them to watch the child and not to lean out. Heather bounced on Castiel’s lap excitedly.

“I knew it,” Dean said. “You wouldn’t go without Cas, right?”

Castiel smiled down at the girl.

“Tell Cas how many braids you’ve got,” Dean teased his niece.

Castiel felt a small jolt of the Ferris Wheel and then the car started to slowly move forwards and upwards; it seemed, though, that he was the only one who noticed it.

“Twenty three,” Heather grinned.

“All of ‘em for you,” Dean said and winked at Castiel. It made him tighten his grip on Heather’s waist.

“Not true!” the girl cried.

“True,” Dean mocked and stuck out his tongue at her. Cas laughed under his breath. “Admit you have a crush on Uncle Cas,” Dean teased. He poked the girl in her leg and glanced at Castiel with a hint of a smile.

“Not true!” Heather squeaked, her little face heating up. Cas’ face also felt a little warm now, but he wasn’t sure what was the reason for it—the topic of their conversation or the amused glances Dean kept sending his way.

“It’s not?” Dean pretended to be shocked. “Every time we come here, you wanna look all pretty and all—”

“Not true!”

“And your mom bought you a new dress—”

“No! Shut up! Shut up!”

“Hey, watch your tone.” Dean wagged his finger at the girl and then promptly tugged at one of her braids. Heather squealed and jolted in Castiel’s arms.

“Careful,” he said and held her tighter.

It was only then that the girl noticed their bench was hanging a few metres above the ground. She sighed with awe, gripped the metal bar with her hands, and looked down, their conversation all but forgotten.

Castiel smiled delicately and glanced at Dean sitting by his side. The bench was long enough that there was a small distance between them, so that Dean could grip the seat with his fingers tightly and they still weren’t touching. Seeing his whitened fingers, Cas looked up at his face, surprised.

Dean's eyes were glued to the seat hanging just in front of them, his face pale, freckles distinctly visible.

Castiel couldn’t help but smile. “Dean,” he said quietly.

“Mhm?” Dean didn’t move, still staring at one point in the air.

“Look down.”

“Nah, thanks.”

“Not _there_ down. Look ahead.”

“Woooow, it’s so high!” Heather wondered. “Uncle Dean, look!”

“I’m looking, kid. You’re right, it’s so high,” Dean said, his voice tight.

“You can see _everything_! What are those lights?”

“Dean.” Castiel put his arm around Heather's waist and moved his other hand down to touch Dean's fingers, still clasped tight around the wooden seat.

Dean moved, but instead of looking down at the sights ahead of them, his eyes found Cas. They were widened and dark, but Castiel was sure he’d still be able to see their lively green if it wasn’t for the darkness around them.

“Breathe,” Cas suggested, barely able to keep a straight face.

“It’s not funny, you son of a bitch,” Dean hissed, his fingers tightening around Castiel’s.

“Hey! I’ll tell dad you’re using bad words!” Heather laughed.

“Shh, don’t laugh at your uncle,” Cas said and grinned. “Not everyone is as brave as you are.”

“Yeah, I know,” she said and grinned back. “What’s he afraid of?”

“I don't know, why don't you ask him?”

“Whaaat are you afraid of?”

“Shut up, both of you, or I’ll push you over,” Dean muttered and then looked down. Castiel felt the crushing grip of his hand and heard his loud intake of air. “Shit. Ooooh shit, no, no, _nope_ ,” he said feverishly and looked back at Cas. “Maybe I’ll just stick to _this_ view, thank you very much.”

Cas' throat went suddenly dry, but he didn’t look away and kept his hand in place. He spent the rest of the ride staring at Dean’s face, barely aware of Heather sitting in his lap and still babbling to herself. Dean looked at him even— or especially—when the Wheel stopped right at the top for a few minutes. When their seat started to descend, slowly, with sudden jolts and sways, Dean moved nervously on the bench, pressing against Cas, their hands stuck between their thighs. Neither of them tried to do anything about it.

The second the Wheel stopped near the ground, though, Dean freed his hand, moved the metal bar out of his way, and jumped out of the seat. He quickly ran down the wooden stairs and stopped on the ground, bending in half, his hands on his knees.

Frowning, Castiel stood up, taking Heather with him, and then put her down, too. The girl ran towards Dean, babbling enthusiastically. Cas waved at Inias sitting in his booth and joined them on the ground.

“Are you alright, Dean?” he asked.

Dean straightened and let out an artificial laugh. “Yup, I'm peachy. Don’t worry. Really, it's nothing. It’s just. I like to feel the solid ground under my feet.”

Cas looked at him, eyebrows drawn together. “Why did you even agree to the ride, then?” he asked.

“Well, I couldn’t let our little panda bear down, now, could I?” Dean took Heather into his arms and held her up.

“If I’d known, I’d have chosen another ride.”

“You've done enough,” Dean said. “Not many kids have a chance to play in an empty fair,” he added, looking around.

They headed towards the exit. Heather sat in Dean's arms, smiling sleepily, her head on his chest.

Suddenly, Dean brushed his shoulder against Castiel’s and peered at him through his lashes. “Besides, it wasn’t all that bad.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Carnies have come to town, if they stay will you hang around?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuBRyS43_rE)

“Excuse me?”

Castiel tore his eyes off the face of the girl that sat in front of him and looked at Dean standing by his booth. There was a boy pulling at Dean's pants and peering up at him shyly.

Dean didn’t even have time to look shocked when the boy asked, “Can you paint cars?”

Dean glanced at Castiel, confusion visible on his face.

Cas felt an urge to laugh, but instead he offered helpfully, “I can.” He looked back at the girl in front of him and added a star to the painting of a pony on her face. “Let me just finish off Twilight Sparkle for this young lady.”

The girl grinned at him and thrust her legs excitedly, accidentally kicking Cas in the shin.

The boy let go of Dean’s leg and entered the booth to stare at the girl above Cas’ shoulder. “Cool,” he praised. “I want Lightning McQueen.”

“It’s doable,” Castiel said. He added a few more strokes of the purple paint and smiled at the girl. “Done,” he said.

“Let me see, let me see!” She reached for the mirror lying on the counter. Cas offered her the mirror and, while the children busied themselves with admiring the painting, he gazed up at Dean still standing by the booth.

Dean was already looking back at them. “Dude, I swear, if one more kid assumes I'm the one who’s doing the face-painting, I'm leaving,” he said. He put his elbows on the counter and leaned forward to look at the children. The boy was touching the girl’s forehead and saying something about ‘the princess of friendship’. Dean made a face. “What the hell?” he mouthed.

“Friendship is magic,” Cas replied, barely able to stop himself from laughing when he noticed the expression on Dean's face.

“Okay. I don’t even wanna know.”

The girl handed the mirror back to Castiel, along with a crunched up bill, and left the booth. The boy immediately took her place on the stool.

“So, McQueen?” Cas asked and, when the boy nodded, started painting.

“How do you even know all of this?” Dean asked, following every move of Castiel's brush with his eyes.

“You can learn a lot from them,” Cas said distractedly and dipped the brush in the red paint.

“From the kids? Yeah, I’m lucky Heather never talks to me about those… horses.” In his peripheral vision, Cas could see Dean make the same scared face.

“Ponies!” the boy yelled.

“Yes, Dean. Ponies, not horses,” Cas deadpanned and looked at him, pretending to be offended.

“Shut up.” Dean laughed, leaning over the counter, and cuffed Cas on the head.

Cas ignored him and got back to work.

“Anyway, as I was saying,” Dean continued after a moment. “Fortunately, Heather doesn’t watch ponies. Or _Cars_. I think.”

“Maybe you just don’t know about it.”

“She wouldn’t hide it, not from me!” Dean clutched at his heart dramatically.

“Maybe she’s just worried about your reaction.”

“Good. If I found out she watched those ponies, I’d keep her in the Impala for an hour, alone with some good old AC/DC.”

Castiel scowled at him. “Dean, this is just a phase. Rainbow Dash appears on a majority of backpacks. And bags. And t-shirts.”

“Rain—what? Where? I can’t see anything.” Dean looked around, carefully surveying every child running around the fairground.

“Especially at school.”

“What school?”

Castiel rinsed his brush and then dipped it in the yellow paint. “At my school.”

Dean leaned over the counter again. “You have your own school? Why am I only hearing about this now?”

“It’s not my school, Dean, I just teach there,” Cas said, trying to ignore the man's hot gaze burning into the back of his head.

“You kidding? You’re a teacher?”

“You didn’t seriously think I spent my whole life here.” Cas threw him a look over his shoulder.

“Ah. Yeah. Well, it actually makes sense,” Dean mused. “You do look a bit like a professor.”

Castiel chuckled. “I’m not a professor. But thank you. Although I'm not sure how you would know.”

“It’s just… You know. The way you act around children and all that… You know.”

Cas finished the painting on the boy’s face, handed him the mirror, and put the brush away. Then he turned on his stool to look at Dean who seemed busy examining the wooden structure of the booth. “You’re good with children, too,” he said with a smile, thinking about the way Dean used to talk with his niece.

“Eh. It’s not the same,” Dean mumbled.

Cas had a sudden urge to stroke his reddened cheeks with his brush. Instead, he looked back at the boy. “Satisfied?” he asked. The child nodded enthusiastically, gave him the money, and ran out the booth, making loud roaring noises.

Cas busied himself with cleaning his brushes and tidying his paints, wondering what Dean was thinking about. When he glanced at him, Dean was watching the children on the carousel nearby, his handsome features lit by the setting sun, jaw sharp, eyelashes long and golden, freckles prominent.

Cas gave out a quiet sigh. “What do you do in life, anyway?” he asked to break the silence, afraid Dean would finally get bored with him and leave.

“Me? Heh, nothing interesting, really.” Dean rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m studying.”

“Really?” Castiel stood up and leaned on the counter opposite of Dean, though still in a safe distance from him. “What are you studying? If it’s okay to ask.”

“Uh. Administration. But it’s just… it’s not important.”

“Of course it’s important.” Cas smiled at him. “How are you liking your classes?”

“They’re pretty good,” Dean said and glanced at him, suddenly a bit shy. “Lots of counting. But it’s manageable.”

“What do you want to do after that?” Castiel asked.

“Oh, man, I’ve no idea. I wanted… Hm, well, I’ve been thinking about setting up my own company, maybe? I don’t really know. I always wanted to own a bookshop.”

Cas smiled. “It’s a wonderful idea,” he said.

“Yeaaah, well. I worked in my dad’s garage half my life, but then I thought it was kinda pointless and—” Dean stopped and just stared at Castiel.

“What?” Cas asked, flustered. “Is there… Is there something on my face?”

“Heh. As a matter of fact, yes. And that’s why I don’t get why kids think I could be the artist here,” he laughed and reached out with his hand. Cas froze, eyes glued to Dean’s face. “You have some… paint here…”

Dean brushed his thumb across Cas’ jaw and Cas could feel a flush reddening his cheeks. “Oh, crap. Sorry, I just kinda smeared it all over.” Dean withdrew his hand, but he kept grinning, eyes never leaving Cas’ face. He didn’t look as if he was sorry.

Cas mumbled a quiet ‘it’s okay’ and dove beneath the counter to look for some tissues and hide his blush. He could still feel the warmth of Dean’s finger on his skin.

When he resurfaced, Dean was looking at the girl approaching the booth.

“Uh-huh, here comes your next client. I’m gonna leave you two alone with your Dashboard Rainbow or whatever it’s called. I need to pee.” He winked and then headed towards the back of the fairground.

“Rainbow Dash,” was all Cas managed to say. His eyes involuntarily followed Dean and concentrated on the way the material of Dean’s jeans tightly hugged his ass.

The girl whom Dean had mistaken for a client passed Cas’ booth without any interest. Cas sighed heavily and hid his face in his hands. He didn’t have time to torment himself with any Dean-related thoughts for too long, though, because suddenly there came a loud voice.

“Castiel Novak, this is outrageous! There are children here! How can you behave like this?”

Cas looked at Gabriel through his fingers. “What are you talking about,” he mumbled.

Gabriel leaned towards him and whispered, “I’m talking about your furious public flirting!”

Castiel plopped down onto his stool and sent Gabriel a tired look. “I do not flirt,” he said wryly.

“Well, maybe _you_ don’t, but Dean definitely does.” Gabriel grinned at him. “And when the two of you get together… Whew! It’s kinda hard to look at. Honestly.”

“Please, Gabriel, leave me alone.”

“But I’m not doing anything! Just saying. Where's our little baby doll today, anyway? I haven’t seen her today anywhere. All I could see was Winchester’s perky little ass.”

“Go away. Now.”

“You can’t deny it.” Gabriel moved forward again. “I know you can’t. You were looking at it, too.”

Castiel sighed and shook his head. “Heather is with her parents today. Family trip. Dean only came to lend me one of his books,” he explained.

“But he's been here for a few hours already,” Gabriel said and winked.

Castiel really couldn’t deny it.

“By the way, I didn’t know you’re such best friends already that you borrow books from each other,” Gabriel said.

“And I didn’t know there existed a specific level of friendship to start borrowing books,” Cas retorted ironically. “If I had, I’d never have loaned you any of my DVDs.”

“Ah! That hurt my feelings.”

“You don’t have any feelings.”

“Everyone has feelings!”

“What feelings?” Dean asked, stopping right in front of them.

They looked over at him, then at the two big cups of lemonade in his hands.

Dean glanced at the cups, too. “Ah. Yeah. Bought us something to drink,” Dean said and smiled at Cas. “My treat.”

“Okaaay. I think I’m gonna leave you two alone,” Gabriel said and sauntered off with a smirk directed at Dean.

Dean tilted his head and looked at Castiel quizzically. “What was that about?” he asked and put the cups on the counter. He pushed one in Cas’ direction. “Hope they’re worth the price, they were freakin' expensive.”

Castiel grabbed the cup and took a long swig of the cold drink. “I’ll repay you, Dean,” he offered.

“Forget it.” Dean waved his hand dismissively and emptied almost one-half of his drink in one sip. “Mhmm. It’s pretty good,” he said and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

For a moment they just stood and drank their lemonade in silence, looking over at the people wandering around the fairground. After a while, Dean moved and went inside the booth to stand right beside Cas. Their shoulders touched.

“Better view here,” he explained when Castiel raised his brows at him.

“Ah.” Cas allowed himself just a few seconds of staring at Dean’s freckles and then gave all of his attention to his lemonade.

Dean didn't stay idle for long. After a few silent minutes, he took out the paints and the brush from beneath the counter and studied them as if seeing for the first time.

“You know, when you painted that dragon for me, I had to go to bed with some green paint on my face,” he laughed. “‘Cause I didn’t have anything to wash it off and water didn’t work.” Dean opened the blue paint and dipped the brush in it.

“Sometimes it’s enough to use cold cream,” Cas said, his eyes never leaving Dean.

Dean scrunched up his nose. “I'm not even sure I have any of that in my house,” he said.

Castiel laughed and Dean nudged him with his elbow. Then he reached out and painted a long blue mark on his hand.

“What…” Cas scowled. “Dean.”

“I hope you do have cream in your house,” Dean said, beaming at him, and then added one more line to his skin.

“I’ve got it here now,” Cas said and reached for his bag.

Suddenly, a small dark-haired girl stopped in front of the booth, raised her head, and asked, “Will you paint me Hello Kitty?”

Cas noticed the expression on Dean’s face and chuckled.

“I don’t—” Dean started, but Castiel waved his painted hand at him.

“I’m currently a little busy, as you can see. And you’re the one holding the brush. You’re the artist now.”

“What? No, Cas, no way,” Dean said.

“But the girl wants Hello Kitty.” Cas looked up at him and made a sad face.

“B-but I don’t even know what it is,” Dean stuttered and looked back at the child still gaping at him.

“Give me a second,” Castiel said. With his clean hand, he fished out the phone out of his pocket and quickly searched for an image on Google. “Here you go. It’s very easy. Just paint what you see.”

“ _Paint what you see_ ,” Dean mocked, but then took the phone and gestured to the girl to come into the booth. “Okay. But if I mess it up, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.”

“You’re gonna do great.” Cas patted his shoulder and smirked.

Dean ignored his comment. “All right, princess. Have a seat,” he said to the girl instead and pointed at the stool. “You want something like this?” he asked and showed her the screen.

Castiel smiled to himself. He washed his hand and listened to the conversation between Dean and the girl for a long moment. The girl was just telling him about the cartoon she’d watched recently when Cas heard Dean’s call.

“Cas,” he said loudly. “Cas, the phone’s gone all black and I can’t—”

Castiel turned to him and saw Dean poking at the dark screen of his phone. He snorted. Dean looked up at him, affronted, and Cas tried not to stare into his green eyes for too long.

“Here.” He leaned forward and pressed the button on the side of the phone. Dean’s ears turned pink when the screen flashed back, and Cas felt a sudden urge to press his lips to his cheek.

Dean got back to work, falling silent again, too focused to talk, and Cas couldn't seem to stop staring at him. He blinked when Dean muttered ‘shit’ under his breath and moved away from the child again.

“Uh, Cas, what do I do now? The colours got all mixed.” Dean looked at him, face miserable.

“It’s nothing, we can fix it.” Without thinking, Cas came over to Dean and took hold of the brush simply by gripping Dean's hand in his own. Cas could feel Dean’s eyes boring into the side of his face, but he managed to control himself for as long as it took to fix the painting on the girl’s face. He tried to explain to him how to avoid mixing of colours at the same time, but Dean didn’t seem to be paying any attention to his words.

After a moment, Cas withdrew his hand and took a step back. “Done,” he grunted, his throat suddenly too dry to speak.

The girl pushed a few dollars into Dean’s hand and ran away. Dean stood up and put the brush back into the water. “Okay. That was… interesting,” he said.

Cas had no idea if Dean was referring to the mere process of face painting or to the way Cas had helped him. To be honest, he didn’t really want to know.

“Ah, yeah, I believe that’s yours,” Dean added and handed him the money.

“What? No, Dean. You earned it.” Castiel reached his hand towards him, but Dean stepped back and hid his hands behind his back.

“But you helped,” he said with a hint of a smile on his lips.

“It doesn’t matter.” Castiel had to smile back. “You did most of the work. It turned out really good.”

“You’re just saying that,” Dean laughed, but he pulled out his hand and accepted the money. Their fingers touched for the briefest of moments.

Cas couldn’t force himself to look into Dean’s eyes.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly; Castiel painted one more boy’s face and then suddenly the first fat raindrops hit the ground. People around the fairground fled to find shelter at home. The fairground became practically deserted within a few minutes—even the workers started to pack their things and leave. The sun would soon set, anyway, so the day could be considered over.

“Crap. Freakin’ rain,” Dean said and stuck his head out of the booth only to hid it back a second later. Meanwhile, Castiel packed his things to his bag. “You don’t happen to have an umbrella?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Cas muttered and tried not to think of how soaked he'd be after he would finally manage to get home.

“Whatever. We just have to make it to the car.”

“We?” Castiel looked at him, surprised.

“You didn’t honestly think I’d let you walk in this weather.” Dean patted his shoulder. “You don’t live that far. I can give you a lift.”

Cas nodded and threw the bag over his shoulder, and then the two of them sprinted towards the parking lot. The rain was pleasantly cold and smelled like summer, but it didn’t mean Castiel liked the way water kept dripping into his eyes.

When they finally made it to the car, Dean rubbed his hand over his face and pushed his fingers through his wet hair. It was warm inside the car and the smell of the rain was even more intense. Cas spent a long moment simply staring at the shiny skin on Dean's neck. All he wanted to do in that moment was to check how Dean’s skin would taste on his tongue and whether it would be as cold as his own.

“Uh. What’s up with this weather?” Dean mused.

Cas tore his gaze off him and glued his eyes to the front window. He mumbled something, anything, to distract himself.

“Okay, then, where are we going?” Dean asked.

The ride seemed to pass too quickly, but Castiel still managed to drift off almost completely, drunk with Dean’s warm smell and his quiet voice when he hummed some songs under his breath while driving. Cas closed his eyes, trying to stop thinking of Dean’s skin, the touch of his thumb, his hand, his gaze, his warm breath when Cas was leaning over him and helped him paint.

When Dean finally stopped the car in front of his house, Cas took a deep breath, thanked him, and scrambled out of the car. Ignoring the rain, he ran up the stairs leading to his door without looking back. He felt that if he was to spend another minute in Dean’s presence, he’d do something incredibly stupid.

“Hey, Cas!” he heard when he was sliding the key into his lock. “Man, what the hell was that? Is this how you thank me for saving your ass from the rain and possible pneumonia?”

Cas heard his steps on the stairs and cursed in his head. “Sorry. I just remembered I’m quite late,” he muttered and didn’t even look at Dean who was now standing beside him.

“All of the sudden? What, you have a date or what, Cas?” Dean laughed.

“No, I don’t have a date,” Castiel mumbled.

Then Dean put his hand on his shoulder. “Great. It’s still pretty early and I thought maybe you could invite me in for a beer or something?”

Cas started to have problems with normal breathing and then, finally, he forced himself to look at Dean. Which wasn’t really such a good idea. Dean was leaning on his doorframe, a charming smile playing on his lips, his shirt soaked and hugging his chest and arms tightly, hair mussed, and skin shiny.

For a moment, they just stood there and stared at each other, and then Cas dropped his keys, stepped towards Dean, and kissed him.

Everything fell silent. The only thing Castiel could hear was his own heartbeat pounding loudly in his chest. Dean stood completely frozen, his eyes wide and staring at Cas, and then Cas pulled away, breaking the kiss.

“I… I gotta go,” Dean stuttered after what felt like an eternity of simply staring at each other, then turned on his heel. He almost fell off the stairs and got into the car. Before Cas could even realise what had actually happened, the Impala was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Dean's birthday today, so let's celebrate with a birthday-themed chapter :) Hope you enjoy!

Saturday morning found Castiel in bed. He had a free weekend and he fully intended to make use of it, starting with making up for all of the sleep he hadn't gotten recently, holding down a summer job and worrying about his situation with Dean. Unhurriedly, he had breakfast, then sat on his balcony with the book borrowed from Dean. He managed to read for several minutes, uninterrupted, but then his thoughts turned towards Dean and their meeting last week.

Castiel really wasn’t surprised that Dean hadn’t visited him on the fairground the day after their unfortunate last meeting. He also hadn’t come the next day, or the next, or actually during the whole week. Cas did have Dean’s number saved in his phone, he also knew his home address, but the fact that Dean hadn’t even tried to contact him in the last few days proved that Cas shouldn't, either.

The first day after that terrible evening, Cas had been in such a foul mood that even Gabriel had noticed it and stopped asking about Dean. With every passing day, Cas’ mood had undergone such drastic changes that he should have probably taken a few days off and stayed at home, just to protect others from having to experience it. There had been times he’d been miserable and mad at Dean—after all, the man had been visibly flirting with him, giving him something to hope for, but then had backed out and hadn’t even given him any chance to explain. But more often he had felt sadness that everything had ended the way it had. Cas would have really liked to go back in time to the moment when Dean still stood in front of his door and asked to come inside. Castiel should have made some excuse, said goodbye, and gone inside by himself. Maybe then he would have had another opportunity to meet Dean at work the next day.

The loud ringing of his phone somewhere from the inside of his house pierced through his thoughts. Castiel closed the book and came back inside.

He didn’t recognise the number on the screen but decided to answer it anyway.

“Hello?”

“Uh, hello? Am I talking to… Cas?” the female voice asked uncertainly.

Castiel frowned. “Yes, I’m Cas. Castiel. Who is this?” Ha glanced at the number again but it still didn’t remind him of anything. He couldn’t remember giving his number to anyone recently, well, maybe except for Dean. But that definitely wasn’t Dean.

“My name’s Jessica Winchester,” the woman said and Castiel’s heart sped up a little at the name. “I’m, uh, Heather’s mom? You don’t know me, but you know my daughter... from the fairground?”

Castiel felt the corners of his lips tug upwards. “Ah, yes. Of course. Hello, Jessica. Is Heather okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, she’s fine. She’s right here with me… Stop it, sweetie, just give me a second! Oh, sorry, that was Heather. She’s really impatient.”

Castiel chuckled. “I remember.”

“Right. Well. She has something to ask you, Castiel, if you don’t mind?”

“Of course,” Castiel said, curious. “I’m all ears.”

“Okay. Here you go, then.” 

There was a moment in which all Castiel could hear was a hushed conversation and some rustling of clothes, and then a loud chirpy voice greeted him through the phone.

“Cas!”

Castiel couldn't help but smile. “Hello, Heather.”

“Hi!” Heather said happily. “I would like to invite you to my birthday party tomorrow at four in my house!” she recited breathlessly. 

Cas smiled again. “Oh! Thank you so much for the invitation, Heather,” he said. And then, he suddenly realised what that would actually mean. His face fell. “Oh. A party.”

“Yes!” Heather yelled. “I’m five! And I’m gonna have an awesome birthday cake—”

A birthday party in Heather’s house would mean meeting with the Winchester family. Not only with her parents but most probably also with her favourite uncle, too.

For a moment, Castiel let Heather talk excitedly about something, and then he cleared his throat, getting ready to refuse.

“Heather, I… I’d really like to come and visit you, but—”

The girl didn’t say anything and Cas felt something grip his heart painfully. He couldn’t say no. He simply couldn’t. The mere fact that he had been invited, even though he was only some strange man from the fair, caused a smile to appear on his face. 

Finally, Castiel swallowed and said, “I still don't have a present for you. Do you have anything special in mind?” he asked, closed his eyes, and listened to Heather’s happy chatter.

He really hoped he wasn’t making another mistake.

 

*

 

Sam Winchester and his family lived in the suburbs; his house was big enough to contain almost a dozen of Heather’s little friends. Castiel could hear their voices from the other side of the street where his cab stopped. When he came closer to the house, he noticed some children running around the yard and playing on the porch. He didn’t spot the birthday girl anywhere among them, though, so he didn’t stop near the fence, but headed straight towards the main door.

The door opened and Cas found himself face to face with a young and incredibly tall man with longish brown hair and friendly eyes. Cas smiled a bit awkwardly and gestured towards the gift in his hands.

“Hello, I have come—”

“You’re Castiel, right?” the man asked, a small frown on his face. “The man from the fair?”

Castiel bit his lip. “Yes. I realise it’s probably weird for you, after all, I’m just a--”

“Hey, it’s cool,” the man interrupted and waved his hand dismissively. “I mean, yeah, it  _ is  _ a bit weird, but, well. I’ve heard quite a lot about you.” He grinned. “I’m Sam,” he introduced himself and outstretched his hand. “Heather’s dad. And Dean’s brother, of course.”

Castiel put the wrapped box under his arm and shook Sam’s hand, only a bit hesitantly. “Nice to meet you, Sam. May I ask… Was it Heather that’s been talking about me?” 

“Sometimes, yeah. But she’s only five and she talks about many things. If she could, she’d invite the whole town for her party.” Sam gave him with a careful look. “I don’t want to sound rude or anything, Castiel, but you must understand it’s a bit unconventional. You’re practically a stranger.”

Castiel nodded, a serious look on his face. “Absolutely. And it’s quite alright, don’t worry about me. I understand if you don’t want me here, I’ll just give you the gift and--”

“No, no, you misunderstood me,” Sam protested. “Heather’ll be happy you’re here. What I meant is, you’re a stranger to me, but you’re my brother’s friend and I trust his judgement. My daughter talks about you sometimes, but it’s Dean that can’t shut up about you,” Sam said, smirking.

Castiel could feel his face grow hot. “Oh.” 

“Yeah.” Sam opened the door wider and gestured with his hand to invite him inside. “Thanks for being his friend, by the way. And for being so nice to my daughter.”

Castiel didn’t respond, he wouldn’t know how. 

Sam smiled at him reassuringly. “Heather should be in the living room if you wanna talk to her.”

With his heart galloping in his chest, Castiel followed Sam inside the house. He was constantly prepared to come across Dean; he could feel the tension in his shoulders, his fingers trembling a little.

He couldn’t, however, suppress his disappointed when he entered the living room and didn’t see Dean anywhere.

“Caaaaaaaas!” Heather called. She jumped off the couch where she’d been sitting among her little friends and ran up to him. “You came!”

“Well, I promised you I would come.” Castiel smiled at her friendlily and bowed down to shake her hand. Heather had another idea, though—she simply threw her arms around his neck. “Oh. Hello, Heather,” Cas stammered. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks!” Heather stepped back and looked at him through her eyelashes. “What did you bring me?”

“Heather,” Sam reprimanded with a laugh.

“See for yourself,” Castiel said. He crouched in front of the girl and handed her the colourful box. He watched her tear the wrapping paper and open it, and then grinned when she squealed, visibly delighted.

“A panda bear!” she shouted.

“It’s not a usual panda bear,” Castiel said.

The girl simply kept staring at the stuffed animal in her hands. 

Sam came closer, taking a look at the gift as well. “Look, honey, it’s a backpack,” he said, took it out of her hands, and helped her put it on her back. “You can take it to school.”

Heather tried to see the panda over her shoulder, but then simply gave up, jumped towards Castiel, and hugged his leg tightly. Cas awkwardly patted her head.

“Heather, shouldn’t you say something?” Sam prompted and smiled at Cas.

“Thank you!” she shouted and then ran off, calling, “Mom, mom, look what I got from Uncle Cas!”

Castiel stood motionless for a moment, staring at the place where Heather had been just a few seconds ago. Then he heard Sam’s voice.

“Would you like something to drink?”

For a moment, he considered saying he should go home, but Sam's friendly eyes stopped him from refusing so quickly. He followed Sam to the kitchen, where he officially met Heather’s mother, Jess. She smiled at him and offered a cup of tea which he accepted with a quiet thank you.

He almost choked on the hot drink when she started asking about his relationship with Dean. He muttered that they were ‘just friends, really’, and hoped Dean hadn’t already told his family about what happened a week ago between them.

Some time later, Jess’ sister and mother appeared, too, together with a young couple from the neighbourhood with a daughter only a bit older than Heather. 

Dean still didn’t show up.

When the evening fell, Heather blew the candles from her Barbie-shaped birthday cake, gave everyone a paper hat, and ordered them to wear it throughout the whole party. The adults were told to wear them, too. Cas hesitated for a moment, but then Heather pointed at him accusingly and, in her joyful sing-song voice, told him to do what she said. Castiel smiled and put the hat onto his head, tucking the string under his chin. 

The adults and the children went back to their previous activities and for some time, Cas simply sat and listened to the conversation between Heather's family. Then Heather came up to him, took him by the hand, and dragged out to the garden, where they sat on the bench while she showed him every one of her presents.

“I didn’t get anything from Uncle Dean yet,” she said sadly. Castiel focused all his attention on her. “But he couldn't come today. He goes to school just like me, did you know?”

Cas nodded wordlessly, even though he was starting to wonder if he himself wasn’t the reason Dean had decided to skip his niece’s birthday party. He must have known Castiel had been invited - Castiel supposed Heather had gotten his phone number from Dean - and had decided to wriggle out of the party somehow.

No. It wasn’t possible. Cas surely didn’t have so much power over him – Dean would never purposefully miss such an important day. 

The girl babbled about something for a little longer and then ran off to play with her friends, so Cas came back inside. For a few minutes he tried to join the conversations, but then gave up, stood up, and went to find a bathroom. He decided to say his goodbyes and go home. He’d stayed long enough.

But then, when he left the bathroom and came out into the hall, he heard a familiar voice coming from the door.

Dean.

Dean was here, saying hello to Sam. Castiel didn’t see him yet, but he would always recognise that voice. 

Before he could even react somehow, the voices moved closer to him. He stood in the middle of the hall, between the door and the living room. He had no chance to slip out without being seen, so he stayed where he was, staring straight ahead with wide, scared eyes.

Sam had already noticed him, but Dean still kept talking to his brother and wasn’t even looking his way. Castiel’s whole body seemed to be screaming, urging him to move and run, but then Dean's eyes landed on him. 

He fell silent.

Sam mumbled something about the living room and passed by them, sending a meaningful smile Cas’ way. Then he disappeared, leaving the two of them alone in the hall.

They stared at each other for a full minute, neither of them saying anything. But then, finally, Castiel said, his voice a little raspy, “Hello, Dean.”

“Cas,” Dean coughed out. “I mean. Hi, Cas. You’re here. I wasn’t sure if you’d show up.”

Dean stepped closer so that they wouldn’t have to scream at each other throughout the hall. 

Castiel’s heart fluttered in his chest. “Heather really wanted me to visit her,” he explained quickly. “I couldn’t say no.”

“Ah, right.” Dean still sounded a little bit shocked, but he smiled gently. “Sounds like her.” 

“Yes,” Cas said. He looked over his shoulder in the direction of the living room and then back at Dean. “But I was just getting ready to leave.”

Dean raised his eyebrows. “Really? You don’t look ready,” he said and chuckled out of  the sudden.

Castiel frowned at him. Still smiling, Dean gestured to his head.

“What—” Cas touched the top of his head and only then did he realise he was still wearing the paper hat. He felt his entire face flush red. He took off the hat and hung his head low, trying to avoid Dean's eyes. 

“Aw, come on, Cas,” Dean said fondly. Castiel felt a pleasant clench in his stomach, but he still didn’t lift his head. “We haven’t seen each other in ages and I'm sure it’d be okay if you stayed for a little longer. I’m sure Heather won’t mind.”

Castiel wanted to say that it was Dean who had been avoiding him, but he stopped himself at the last moment. He peered at Dean who smiled at him, a bit unsure, and gestured to the living room.

Cas had never seen a child as happy as Heather was the moment she noticed Dean. Nothing could make her smile so wide, not even the princess set she got from him, together with a cloak, a sceptre, and a sparkly diamond diadem. Dean got a double serving of birthday cake and sat down on the couch beside Castiel, Heather sitting in his lap and telling him all about the new game she had come up with. Other adults kept talking with themselves about things Castiel knew nothing about, but now, with Dean by his side, it suddenly didn’t really matter. Even though Dean didn’t even pay him that much attention and just kept stuffing his mouth with cake and teasing his niece. 

“Where’s your crown, princess?” he asked and ruffled her hair.

Heather jumped off his lap and ran off to retrieve it.

“Diadem,” Castiel said.

Dean glanced at him distractedly. “Huh?”

“It’s a diadem, not a crown, from what I saw,” Cas said and then felt himself blush again. “If Heather is a princess—”

“Cas, you dork,” Dean laughed and nudged him playfully with his elbow.

Heather came back before Castiel could answer anything. She climbed onto Dean’s lap again, the shiny diadem on her head and the sceptre, topped with a plastic ball full of glitter, in her hand. 

“Cas gave me a panda bear,” she said proudly and patted Dean's chest with the sceptre.

“Right. Wouldn't expect anything else from him,” Dean said and sent him a smile. “Is it pretty?”

“I’ll show you!” she said, pushed the sceptre into Dean’s hands, and ran off again.

Dean shook his head and laughed. “My God, she's so energetic,” he said. Then he turned to Castiel and poked him in the arm with the sceptre. “How are you, Cas?”

Castiel felt a pleasant wave of warmth spreading through his body, caused by Dean’s proximity, his smile and friendliness. Maybe not everything was lost?

“I’m okay,” he said. “How are you?”

“Same old. I had a lot of work at school recently. It’s like suddenly everyone decided to give us tests,” he said and sighed. “But it should be over now, I had my last exam today.”

Castiel really tried not to hope that it was the reason Dean had stopped visiting him on the fairground.

“How’s the book? Did you finish it?” Dean asked.

“No,” Cas admitted. “I’m trying to savour it and I read only a few pages a day.”

Dean snorted. “Like I said: dork,” he murmured. He waved the sceptre right in front of Castiel's face as if he wanted to touch his forehead but decided against it in the last moment. Cas’ ears felt very hot. 

Heather came back with several stuffed animals in her arms, including the backpack from Castiel. She started to present all of them to Dean, sharing every little detail about the toys’ names. Dean just kept nodding, mocking her and taking every toy into his hands. He playfully punched the big pink elephant in its face; Heather screamed at him and snatched it away. They also put a rag doll on the couch between Cas and Dean. Dean stared at the black cat Heather showed him next, and then sat it on Castiel's shoulder.

Cas blinked, disoriented. He turned his head away and noticed Sam's gaze. Sam smiled at him secretly, eyes darting back and forth from Dean to Cas.

Finally, when the children got tired and sleepy, their parents arrived to take them home and Sam went out to see them off. Heather sat in her mother’s lap, her little head on Jess’ chest, her eyes almost closed. The rest of the adult guests had left as well, leaving only Jess, Dean, and Cas in the living room. Dean had managed to drag Cas into the conversation with Sam’s wife and now he simply sat, eating a slice of apple pie and listening to Castiel’s stories of teaching elementary school. Jess was incredibly friendly and suddenly Castiel felt much more relaxed than at the beginning of the party.

Suddenly, Heather giggled. Castiel stopped talking and looked her way. Dean was leaning towards her, the black cat that had been sitting on Castiel’s shoulder in his hands, tickling Heather’s bare foot with the cat’s soft paw.

“Uncle Deaaaan,” she murmured sleepily and giggled again.

“Hey, baby, it’s time for bed, isn’t it?” Jess asked and swept her hair from the girl's forehead. “Say goodnight to your guests and we’ll get you to sleep.”

Heather, still in her mother’s arms, spread her arms wide and hugged Dean’s neck. Dean kissed her forehead and put the black cat into her hands. Then the girl reached out for Castiel.

“Niiight,” she yawned and hugged him.

Cas stroked her soft hair and smiled. Jess left the living room with her daughter in her arms, leaving Castiel alone with Dean for the first time since they’d met in the hall.

“Ah, man,” Dean sighed and stretched out on the couch. “Don’t know why, but kids’ parties are like a hundred times more exhausting than the regular ones. But maybe that’s because of the damn classes.”

Looking at Dean, all Castiel could think of was explaining his behaviour to him, maybe even apologising for it. Even though Dean seemed to be entirely oblivious to the awkward tension between them, Cas could barely stand it any longer.

He was about to open his mouth to say something when he heard the front door and then Sam entered the room.

“Oh. The party’s over?” he asked, sat in the armchair in front of them, and reached for the cupcake. 

“The princess has retired to her private bedchambers,” Dean said and Sam chuckled. 

Castiel cleared his throat. “I really should go. I have some documents to take care of, the school is starting soon,” he said and stood up. 

Sam did, too, leaving the unfinished cupcake on the plate and brushing off his hands. “Sure. Thanks for coming, Castiel. It was nice to finally meet you.” Sam smiled and extended his hand. 

Castiel shook it without hesitation. “Likewise.”

“I think I’m gonna leave, too,” Dean said and got up. “Hey, Cas, you want a lift?”

Castiel was silent for a few seconds, staring at Dean with his eyes open wide and trying to think of an answer. “Yes,” he finally said, feeling his heartbeat speed up. Dean knew what had happened the last time he had given him a lift, but he still didn’t hesitate before offering it again.

“Awesome. Let’s go, then. See ya, Sammy.” Dean patted his brother’s shoulder. “Say goodbye to Jess from me.”

“Thank you for the wonderful party,” Castiel said politely.

“I’ll pass your words to the birthday girl,” Sam chuckled.

Dean snatched the last cupcake from the table and then they left and headed towards the car parked just outside the fence. Cas sent one last look at the house flooded with a soft streetlight and then promptly took his seat on the passenger side.

For a long while, neither of them dared to speak. Cas kept fidgeting, trying to come up with the best way to broach the subject. 

When they stopped at red light, Dean finally looked over at him. “Cas,” was all he said.

Castiel swallowed, afraid to look back. “Yes, Dean?” he asked nervously.

“I can see you're trying to say something. Just go ahead.”

Castiel barely resisted from laughing bitterly. Either Dean really didn't know what had been bothering Castiel or he was really good at pretending nothing had happened.

Castiel didn’t possess such abilities. “I wanted to… explain. And apologise,” he finally said, still not daring to look at the man beside him.

“Oh,” Dean muttered but didn’t continue. For a few more minutes they drove in complete silence.

Castiel stared out the side window, breathing deeply and trying to calm himself a little. It was so dark outside that he could see his reflection in the glass.

“Dean, I… I shouldn’t have… I didn’t want to…” he stammered, but then stopped, not able to say anything more than those few simple words. The worst thing was that Castiel didn’t really believe in what he was saying. It wasn’t true that he ‘didn’t want to’. It wasn’t true that he was sorry. He didn’t regret kissing Dean. He just regretted that the kiss had ruined everything and most probably destroyed any chances of their friendship in the future.

Dean parked just outside his house before Castiel could actually finish trying to express his thoughts. Cas was afraid he would be kicked out of the car in a matter of seconds and that they would never see each other anymore, but then Dean killed off the engine and leaned towards him.

Castiel didn’t even move when Dean’s lips touched his. Cas sat, unmoving, with eyes open wide and hands clenched into fists in his lap. Before he could react in any way and kiss back, Dean pulled away and turned his head.

“I should be the one apologising, Cas,” he murmured quietly. Castiel could barely even hear him, his ears were ringing so loudly. “So, here. I’m sorry. If you changed your mind, I get it. I was an idiot, I know, but you just… you just surprised me, that’s all, and it… it felt like too much and—”

“Dean.”

“But I really thought about it a lot, I mean, about us, and about you, and—” 

“I thought you hated me,” Castiel whispered, his eyes glued to the back of Dean's head.

Finally, Dean looked at him. “What? No, Cas. It's actually the other way round.”

For a moment, Castiel just kept staring at him. Then he touched his own lips with his fingertips, still able to taste Dean's mouth. He couldn’t be certain because it was dark inside the car, but he could swear Dean's face flushed bright red at the sight.

“I kinda get the feeling we screwed up,” Dean said and laughed nervously, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “We started it from the wrong end.”

Cas tilted his head, looking at Dean with interest. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“I mean…” Dean smiled charmingly at him. “Are you free tomorrow night?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't miss the next part - it's a date night!


	5. Chapter 5

Castiel hadn't been on a date in years.

To be quite honest, he hadn’t been on many dates in his entire life, but he tried not to think about it too much as he took the shower and spent a long time choosing the right clothes. From his experience, dates were always tediously official and not as pleasant as everyone seemed to think. If it weren’t for the fact that he could still remember Dean's bright smile when he asked him out, Cas would probably be a nervous wreck right now.

The phone rang at the same time Castiel took off his tie. He sighed, threw it onto the bed which was already cover with two white shirts, a pair of jeans, and a jacket, and then reached for his phone.

“Yes?” he asked, frowning and looking through his closet.

“Hi, Cas,” said Dean’s voice.

Castiel immediately focused all his attention on him. “Dean. Is something wrong?”

Dean laughed quietly. “A guy can never just call without everyone assuming that something—” Dean suddenly stopped and cleared his throat. “Okay. Yes, actually. It is.”

Cas’ fingers gripped the phone tighter.

“Listen, Cas, the thing is… I…” Dean was clearly embarrassed and Castiel had no idea how to react. “I really can’t believe I’m actually doing this. But I’ve no other choice.”

“Dean, just say it,” Cas pressed on.

Dean took a deep breath. “I can’t see you tonight,” he said.

Castiel flopped down onto his bed. “Oh.”

“It’s not what you think! I really, really don’t wanna do it. But I have to. And I’m sorry I’m calling now—” Dean started to explain.

“Of course. It’s fine, Dean. It’s okay,” Cas said and stood up to hang his tie and his shirts back into the closet.

“You don’t understand. It really wasn't my decision… Okay, maybe just a bit—”

“Dean. You don’t need to explain anything. Really.” Cas couldn’t stop a small sigh that escaped his lips. Yesterday he had been sure Dean hated him. But he didn’t, and it could almost compensate for the fact that, after all, Dean didn’t feel about him the same way Cas did.

_Almost_.

“I have to look after Heather,” Dean said, breaking through Castiel’s thoughts. His hand stopped halfway to the closet. “I promised. I completely forgot. It’s Sam and Jess’ anniversary today and… Okay, actually, this is all Sam’s fault, he should’ve reminded me about this yesterday _before_ I could make any plans, but it’s also kinda my fault, I mean—”

Cas couldn’t take it any longer and laughed quietly. “Dean. I understand, I really do.” Because he did now. “You don’t have to explain. I hope you’ll have a wonderful time with Heather.”

“Not that I mind spending my Sunday evening with Heather, but I kinda hoped I could spend it with you,” Dean murmured grumpily.

Cas’ heart rate sped up. “Maybe next weekend,” he said softly and started to unbutton his shirt.

“Yeah,” Dean mumbled. “Unless…”

Cas’ hand froze on the third button.

“Would you mind spending the evening watching cartoons and eating ice cream?”

*

When the front door opened, Castiel couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Dean with a small pot in his hands.

“Shut up,” Dean said in a way of greeting. “We’re making pudding,” he said and stirred the content of the pot with a spoon.

“Of course,” Cas said. “What flavour?”

“Vanilla.” Cas chuckled quietly and Dean sent a soft look his way. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad I’m here, too,” Castiel replied gently.

“I’m really sorry that—”

“No, Dean, it’s—”

“Cas!” At first, all Castiel could see was Heather’s head, but then the girl pushed past Dean’s legs and raised his arms towards Cas. He smiled, crouched down, and let her hug him. “We’re making pudding!” she boasted.

Cas patted her head and pulled away. “So I’ve heard,” he said and reached for his bag. “I have something for you.”

When he handed her the DVD box, Heather squealed cheerfully.

“ _Frozen_!” she shouted and hopped a few times.

“I’ve heard your uncle don’t have any fairy tales, so I brought my own.” He straightened and watched the girl wave the box at Dean and run inside the house. “I hope she hasn’t seen it yet.”

“Judging from her reaction, she wouldn’t mind either way,” Dean laughed, and then hit himself in the forehead, stepped back, and opened his door wider. Cas watched his cheeks flush a pretty pink. “Jeez, Cas. What kind of host I am. Come on in.”

Castiel smiled at him and went inside, looking around with interest. Dean’s house was small, but it looked cosy and lived-in and it really seemed to fit its owner. There was a poster of some band hanging on the wall in the hall, near the small framed photograph and the black clock.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Dean said and nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

Cas took off his shoes, put his bag down on the floor, and then followed Dean inside the house. They passed the living room, equipped with the unusually large flat screen TV and a big green couch, currently occupied by Heather, and then entered the kitchen.

“Can you get the milk out of the fridge?” Dean asked. He put the pot onto the counter and opened one of the cupboards.

Cas felt a pleasant chill run down his body when he opened the fridge; he looked inside curiously. The shelves were occupied by some jars, the package of cheese, and a six-pack of beer. Cas found the milk carton on the shelf on the door and handed it to Dean.

“Thanks,” Dean said, his eyes never leaving Cas’ face, and grinned. Castiel felt Dean’s fingers brush against his palm and noticed that his smile turned a bit more shy. “How’ve you been, Cas?”

Castiel closed the fridge and took a seat on the high stool by the small kitchen island. He watched Dean move around the stove and stir the milk in one of the pots for a moment before answering.

“We saw each other yesterday, Dean,” Cas said slowly.

“Yeah, like I could forget.” Dean looked at him over his shoulder and smiled charmingly. “When are you going back to work?”

“Tomorrow,” Cas said and winced. “Fortunately, it’s the last week of summer break and then school starts.”

“Aww, man, that’s not fair,” Dean said with sympathy. “Did you even get a vacation?”

“Don’t worry about me.” Castiel couldn’t help but smile, even though Dean was still turned away from him and couldn’t see it. “Despite everything, working at the fair wasn’t bad and it helped me relax a bit. And… Well, I don’t really regret spending my time there,” he admitted and lowered his eyes to his lap, smiling.

He could feel Dean looking at him, but he didn’t move even when Dean chuckled quietly and said, “You know, I’m not gonna complain about it, either.”

Before Castiel could respond, Heather came running into the kitchen, asking about the pudding and jumping towards Cas. He lifted her carefully and put onto his lap.

“Give it a minute, kid,” Dean said and tapped her on the nose with the spoon.

Heather grimaced. “You’re a kid!” she called and pushed Dean’s hand away.

Dean only laughed out loud.

The pudding was ready after a few minutes and Dean poured it into three small bowls. Heather stood by the counter on her tiptoes, telling Dean how much to pour for everyone.

“Lots and lots for me,” she ordered and jumped up a few times. “But not _very lot_ . Like… a _little lot_. Stop! Show me how much.”

“Here, princess, calm down,” Dean muttered. He added one last spoon of pudding to one of the bowls.

“Shooow me!”

Castiel slid off the stool and came over to them. He bent down and took Heather into his arms so that she could see clearly the content of the bowls.

“And looooots for Cas.” Heather grinned at him and patted his face with her small hand.

Castiel blushed a little, especially when he noticed Dean's look full of amusement and some warm, soft feeling.

“But not too much, we have to leave something for Dean,” Cas said seriously.

“He eats too much anyway,” Heather said happily and stuck her tongue out at her uncle.

Dean gasped and threw the spoon into the sink.  “What did you say, you little devil?” he asked dangerously.

Heather giggled and hid her face on Castiel’s chest. “That's what daddy always says! He says you’re gonna be fat and thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!” The girl squealed gleefully, her fingers gripping Cas' shirt even tighter when Dean got to them and tickled her. Heather squirmed in Castiel’s arms and couldn’t seem to stop laughing. Dean was laughing, too, his eyes shining, and then he finally snatched his niece out of Cas’ grip and threw her over his shoulder, upside down.

“You had it coming. You’re not gonna get any pudding tonight.” Dean said. With one hand holding the girl down, he took one of the bowls into the other and nodded at Castiel.

“But Uncle Deaaaaaan!”

Cas took the two remaining bowls and followed them into the living room. Dean seated Heather down onto the couch and sat beside her, keeping the pudding out of her reach.

“Take it all back or you’re not getting any,” Dean said to her. Cas sat down by her other side.

“I take it back! I take it back! You’re not fat, you’re the thinnest ever!” Heather said vehemently, her hands outstretched towards the pudding.

“There. Now we’re getting somewhere,” Dean said with a smile. He put the bowl into her hands and went to the TV to put the movie on. He came back to sit on the couch when the image appeared on the screen. Cas handed him one of the bowls and Dean smiled at him over Heather’s head.

Not even a half an hour later Heather started to sing aloud to every song performed in the animation, bobbing her head and swaying rhythmically. Cas couldn’t help himself and hummed some of them, too. After a while, though, he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and he immediately turned his head.

Dean had thrown his arm over the back of the couch and was now leaning on it and looking at him.

“Cas, are you singing?” he whispered. Heather had requested turning off the lights some time ago and now the television screen was the only source of the light in the room. Dean’s teeth were blue when he grinned at Castiel.

“Shhh,” Cas said and chuckled. He shook his head and sang some more, ignoring the way his cheeks turned bright red when he felt Dean staring at him some more. “ _Let it go, let it go, and I’ll rise like the break of dawn…_ ”

Heather looked up at him happily and joined him, singing along. In his peripheral vision, Cas could see Dean beaming at them. When the song was over and Heather seemed to sink deep into the storyline again, Cas once more felt Dean’s fingers on his shoulder. This time, though, they slid up gently, slowly, fingertips brushing the skin just underneath Cas’ collar.

“Do I wanna know how you know all the words?” Dean murmured.

Cas glanced at him. He could feel Dean’s warm skin on his shoulder; something hot and fluttery was unfurling inside his stomach. Dean still kept ignoring the film and looking only at Castiel, his head resting on his outstretched arm.

“I teach elementary school,” Cas whispered. “I’ve seen that film at least five times. Maybe more. All kids love this story.”

“Mhm,” Dean hummed. “Not only kids, apparently.”

“Well, I’m not going to lie,” Cas said quietly. He didn’t want to disturb Heather. “The story is quite magical.”

“I see.” The touch of Dean’s hand disappeared and Castiel immediately started to miss it. But before he could react or even give Dean a look, he felt the man’s fingers brush over the back of his neck and sink gently into his hair. Cas almost purred with delight at the feel. He wished he could press himself against Dean, as close as humanly possible; instead, he slid a little down the couch and let his eyes slide closed, savouring every little touch.

He didn’t sing a single note for the rest of the film. He didn’t even pay too much attention to it, really, too distracted by the way Dean’s fingertips massaged his skin and carded through his hair with slow, hypnotising movements and some occasional playful tugs. He probably wouldn’t have noticed the film ended, too, if it wasn't for the fact that Dean suddenly withdrew his hand.

Cas blinked himself awake. He heard Dean’s short laugh and looked over, frowning.

“Sleeping beauty,” Dean explained and nodded towards Heather, curled up on the couch, her head resting on Dean’s side, snoring lightly, small lips parted.

Cas smiled sleepily, watching as Dean took Heather into his arms and stood up.

“Okay, I’m gonna put her to bed. I’ll be right back,” he whispered. “You stay here.”

Castiel sat up straight and yawned.

“And stay _awake_ ,” Dean added, poked his calf with his foot, winking, and then left.

Cas rubbed a hand over his eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. It was too dark to see the time, anyway, so he let his head fall back onto the back of the couch and closed his eyes again. He smiled a little when he thought of Dean’s touch.

He didn’t even hear the footsteps and jerked slightly when Dean flopped down onto the sofa right beside him, causing their bodies to touch from their shoulders down to their legs. Cas lifted his head and looked at Dean, trying to fight off sleep.

“Sorry,” Dean whispered and placed his hand on Castiel’s thigh. “You awake?”

Despite the slight sleep-induced haze, Castiel could feel his heart start to beat wildly against his ribcage and his blood hum in his ears.

“Can’t you see?” he asked with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Dean chuckled and changed his position, one leg coming up to rest on the couch, his whole body turning more towards Cas. He put his elbow on the back of the couch right beside Cas’ head and leaned forward.

“No,” he said, looking amused, eyes glued to Castiel’s face. “You look like you’re about to drop off. And you’re almost as adorable as Heather. All you need is a stuffed panda bear,” he added, smiling charmingly.

Cas felt his face heat up but didn’t look away. “Your couch is too comfortable,” he said without much conviction.

“Oh?” Dean’s gaze slowly slid over his face. Cas’ breath hitched when Dean’s eyes stopped at his lips for a little longer. “If you say so,” he murmured and then his hand touched Castiel’s hair again.

This time, he wasn’t able to stop a quiet sigh from escaping his mouth. He also tilted his head forward, giving Dean’s fingers more space.

“What are you, a kitten?” Dean laughed, voice low. He moved even closer, his knee touching Castiel’s thigh, fingers entangled in his hair. “You’re gonna start purring soon.”

Castiel smiled to himself and purred quietly, just in spite, leaning closer to Dean who gasped a little.

“Oh, wow. I was just kidding,” Dean said and Cas stopped at once. He opened his eyes and raised his head to look at Dean, afraid he had gone too far. Dean’s eyes were wide open and amused, though, and his hand stayed in his hair. “Damn it, Cas. Stop being so adorable,” he accused without much conviction.

Castiel sent him an affronted look. “I’m not,” he said.

Dean’s fingers tugged at his hair more forcefully. Castiel’s eyes closed and he smiled contentedly.

“You kinda are,” Dean murmured. His voice sounded so close that Cas forced his eyes to open. “Hey, Cas?” he said quietly, their faces so close that Cas was able to see his freckles even despite the darkness.

“Dean?” Cas’ eyes flicked down to Dean’s lips.

“I’m sorry we didn’t get to go out anywhere.”

“It’s okay.”

“You sure?” Dean kept looking at him carefully and Cas could only nod and smile gently at him.

“I like your house better,” he admitted.

“Oh,” Dean sighed. His hand stopped for a few seconds and then moved to bring Cas’ head closer, much closer, and then the other hand cradled his face and tilted it slightly to the side. Castiel stopped breathing. For a few long seconds, they just keep staring at each other, and then Cas felt Dean’s breath on his face, warm and tasting like vanilla.

“ _Dean_ ,” he breathed out.

His hand gripped Dean’s shirt and then suddenly there was no space between them. Cas wasn't even sure who had moved first—maybe they had moved together—but it didn't matter anymore because Dean’s lips were finally touching his, Dean's wide hands cradling his face and pulling him closer, closer, closer. Castiel sighed and Dean took this chance to deepen the kiss, his tongue darting out to lick at Cas’ lips, tilting his head, one of his hands sliding into his hair again. Castiel’s whole body hummed with pleasure and warmth and he purred contentedly. Dean chuckled quietly, his lips still pressed against Cas’.

“ _Cat_ stiel,” he muttered and pulled away just a little to ruffle Cas’ hair.

“Mmhm,” Castiel protested weakly. Eyes still closed, he leaned forward in search of Dean’s mouth.

Dean let himself be kissed, only the lightest presses of lips, quiet sighs, hands pressed into chests and fingers tangled in hair.

“You smell like pudding,” Cas whispered after a moment.

Dean didn’t answer, just moved forward and touched his lips to Cas’ jaw, placing soft kisses along it and sliding towards his lips. They kissed and kissed some more, every gentle slide of their lips merging into one kiss, and another one, and another. Dean kept him pressed against the back of the couch and Cas felt drunk with his intoxicating presence.

Suddenly, Cas’ ears caught a voice different from the one belonging to Dean. They both pulled away in the same time and turned their heads to look at the door to the living room. Heather, with a teddy bear in her arms and her hair dishevelled from sleep, stood there, sleepily rubbing at her eyes.

“Heather?” Dean asked. Cas shivered when he heard his voice, so low and hoarse. “What’s up, kiddo?”

“I can’t sleep,” she said tearfully.

“Oh no,” Dean said. He glanced at Cas apologetically, got up, and jumped over the back of the couch to get to his niece. “Something woke you up?”

“I dunno,” Heather muttered. She leaned her forehead on Dean’s shoulder when he crouched by her side.

Their voices turned to whispers and Castiel couldn't hear them any longer. He straightened up and patted his hair, trying to make himself look more presentable. Heather was sleepy and tired, but Castiel still felt a bit awkward given that she had surprised them like that.

“Cas,” Dean said all of the sudden. Cas looked his way. Dean was standing up with Heather in his arms and a serious face. “I... I gotta wait till she's asleep—”

“Sleep with me,” Heather whined and tugged her uncle by the shirt.

Dean laughed awkwardly. “See? The princess has spoken.”

“Of course. I understand.” Castiel stood up and approached them, a small smile on his face. “Thank you both for a wonderful evening.”

Dean smiled back softly. “If you want… Maybe… You could stay?” he asked hopefully.

Cas did. He really _wanted_ to stay.

But then he looked at Heather, leaning on Dean’s chest and peering at Cas, her eyes almost closed.

He shook his head.  “I should be going,” he said. But he couldn’t stop himself from adding, “Next time, maybe?”

Dean beamed at him.

Cas shuffled his feet awkwardly. “So, I will go now,” he said finally. “Goodnight, Heather. See you soon.”

Heather frowned, still staring at him, and Cas turned away quickly, his stomach clenching uncomfortably. Maybe she didn’t like what she’d seen? He wouldn’t be able to stand it if she started to look at him differently, not after the past few weeks—

“Caaas,” she called after him.

Castiel looked over his shoulder. Heather reached with her arms towards him and Cas breathed out, relieved. He came over and let her hug his neck, and then almost yelled when she pecked him sweetly right on the lips, still smiling drowsily.

Dean laughed out loud and Cas glared at him, still too shocked to say anything.

“Uncle Dean, you gotta kiss him too!” Heather said. Now it was Castiel’s turn to chuckle, but his laughter was stifled with Dean’s warm lips on his.

“Night, Cas,” Dean murmured and pulled away.

Castiel looked into his laughing eyes and reddened mouth, then glanced at Heather, clearly very smug with herself in Dean’s arms. He shook his head, chuckling, and went towards the doors.

“I’ll call ya!” Dean called after him.

Cas couldn’t get the smile off his face for the entire journey back home.

*

It was the last day of summer break which meant that it was also the last day of Castiel’s job on the fair. He packed his bag, throwing last glances at the colourful scenery around him, at the empty stands and booths and carousels and at the co-workers which kept passing by him. Some time later, the manager, Marv, came by his booth to settle everything and Cas felt a stab of sadness at the thought that it really was over.

“Hey, buddy,” Marv said suddenly while Castiel was busy with some papers. “Sorry, but all attractions are closed.”

Cas lifted his head and saw Dean, his face brightened by the smile and the setting sun behind his back.

“Not all,” Dean said, eyes on Castiel.

In response, Castiel stuffed the papers into Marv’s hands, grabbed his bag, and left his booth for the last time.

“Hello, Dean,” he said and smiled.

He kept smiling even when Dean pressed his lips to his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end :)
> 
> Thanks for reading! If you're interested, [here](http://teacass.tumblr.com/tagged/fairground%20attraction) are the tumblr posts with the story (and some photo collages) and [here](https://pl.pinterest.com/fuszigi/fairground-attraction/) is a pinterest board with even more pictures :)


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